New Delhi: Motorists who don’t have a valid pollution certificate will henceforth not be able to renew the insurance of their vehicles, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in a move to cut down on air pollution.

A bench led by Justice Madan B Lokur issued a direction to all insurance companies to ensure polluting vehicles stay off the roads.

The bench also ordered for an all-India real-time online system for Pollution Under Control (PUC) centres to check any manipulation while granting pollution certificates.

The bench also asked the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to ensure that all fuel refilling centres in the National Capital Region (NCR) have PUC centres.

The apex court granted four weeks’ time to the Centre to ensure that there are functional PUC centres in NCR to ensure that vehicles plying have PUC certificate.

The court considered the suggestions given by Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA).

The bench was hearing a PIL filed by environmentalist MC Mehta way back in 1985 dealing with various aspects of pollution.